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If you have any old pictures of yesteryear life in DeKalb County, you're urged to make them available for the compilation of a pictorial history book through Arcadia Publishing's "Images of America" series.

Images of America: A History of American Life in Images and Texts is a unique new resource cultivated from Arcadia Publishing's award-winning series of local history books. At completion, it will include historical images and texts, celebrating the places and faces that give DeKalb County its spirit and life. All of the images and texts will enable users to explore the depth of the history of the county, as well as its cultures, architectural features, and more.

Ria Baker and Judy Fuson are compiling photos for the book.

Baker said that's where you can be of help. "We are working on a book about DeKalb History with the Arcadia Publishing Company. We are looking for pictures and information to put in the book. If anybody has any good history pictures we can scan we ask for your help. We'll come to your home and scan the pictures or we can pick them up, scan them, and bring them back to you or we can meet you at the library in Alexandria or Smithville and scan them there. We need pictures with information to go along with them and everybody will be asked to sign a release stating that they don't mind their pictures being put in the book.. The publishing company wants us to have it to them by September. Hopefully, they'll have the book out by January, 2012.. The sooner we can get the pictures from you, that would be great. We don't want somebody who has a great picture to miss having it in the book so if you have a photo you want to contribute we certainly want it and even if we can't use it in the book we still want to put it on a cd and place it in the libraries for people to access it if they want to," said Baker

Fuson adds "We're just compiling pictures that will illustrate the history of our county. We're looking for things of the past. Businesses from old times and the old country stores around the county as well as the towns of Liberty, Alexandria, Dowelltown, and Smithville. Not just businesses, but the early settlers, the religious life, schools, special events, entertainment, life from early times. We'd like to devote one chapter of this book to the people who lived where the lake is now. We hope to do another book later on that. Each image will have a caption telling who, what, where, and when. Everybody who contributes a picture will be acknowledged. On every picture it will tell who it came from. We have to scan these pictures a particular way. The publisher gave us guidelines to follow on how to scan the pictures. We would like to have original copies of the pictures to scan. We won't keep the pictures and we won't send them away. We can come to your home and scan them or you can bring them to us and have us scan them. We'll also accept old post cards. Sometimes people have old post cards with pictures of local areas. We can do those too," said Fuson

If you have pictures you'd like to contribute or have scanned for the book, call Ria Baker at 529-2840, Judy Fuson at 597-6397, or WJLE at 597-4265.

The following is a legislative update from State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver:

General Assembly Fights Tennessee’s Meth Problem

In a strong bipartisan move, the House approved HB 457—legislation that cracks down on derivatives of the deadly drug meth otherwise known as "bath salts" or "plant foods."

A wave of illicit drug production and illegal use has swept through parts of Tennessee where countless residents have been rushed to the hospital from the adverse effects of the drug. Various news outlets have even reported on many deaths directly linked to the rise in drug use associated with these ingredients.

The Speaker of the House congratulated the bill sponsor and remarked, “Concerned constituents brought this issue to our attention, and it has been a top priority for our Majority.”

After passage of the legislation, the author of the legislation said, “I’m proud to have the unanimous support of my colleagues on this important issue.” He concluded, “Families in my district and across the State are being torn apart because of drug abuse. We cannot let this continue. I believe passage of this legislation moves us in the right direction for combating meth production in Tennessee. But we must do more. I will continue working with Members of the General Assembly to end the emotional toll and physical destruction meth is having on the lives of Tennesseans.”

Governor Announces Jobs4TN Plan

This week, the Governor and Economic and Community Development Commissioner (ECD) announced the Jobs4TN plan, which lays out the Administration’s economic development strategy resulting from a top-to-bottom review of the department. The plan is consistent with the principles laid out by the Leadership of the General Assembly and implores unique initiatives to pave the way for job creation in Tennessee. The plan focuses on: Prioritizing the strategic recruitment of target industries; assisting existing Tennessee businesses in expansions and remaining competitive; supporting regional and rural economic development strategies; As well as investing in innovation and reducing business regulation.

“My top priority is for Tennessee to be the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high-quality jobs,” said the Governor. “Our Jobs4TN plan is a blueprint for doing just that. By leveraging our existing assets in each region, we will be able to attract new businesses to the State while helping our existing businesses expand and remain competitive. We will also be making significant investments in innovation to position Tennessee as a national leader well into the future.”

The plan was developed over a 45-day period and involved interviews with more than 300 stakeholders, community leaders, and national experts as well as through seven roundtables across Tennessee that were hosted by Legislators.

House Leadership applauded the plan and noted, “Our Majority laid out a clear vision for reducing regulations and passing common sense reforms to encourage job growth throughout Tennessee. This plan is an innovative blueprint that respects the unique aspects each region brings to the table and seeks out companies that will partner with those areas. The Governor and this Majority, once more, prove we are committed to economic development in this State.”

House Judiciary Committee Advances Common Sense Tort Reform Measure
Declaring he wants to “make Tennessee the most business-friendly state," the Member responsible for guiding tort reforms through the House won approval of the critical pro-business measure this week in the Judiciary Committee.
Essentially, the legislation caps "non-economic" damage awards at $750,000 and at $1 million in cases where victims suffer certain catastrophic injuries like the loss of two or more limbs. The bill also caps punitive damages meant to punish accidental negligence by businesses or individuals. Awards for injuries that can be quantified, such as medical care, rehabilitation, or loss of income, are not capped.

The bill is a central focus of the General Assembly’s legislative agenda. Proponents of the legislation believe these reforms will bring stability to the legal environment companies have to account for when considering relocation to Tennessee or doing business here.

On numerous occasions, the Majority Leader has talked about the fact this reform will drastically improve the business prospects for Tennessee. “Leveling the playing field so Tennessee is more competitive with other States in the region is the smart thing to do for our citizens,” he said recently.

House Bill 1085

On Tuesday I regretfully took House Bill 1085 off notice. Why? Because I did not have the votes to pass it out of the committee. However, I was able to address the committee and here is a copy of the text.

“I am taking HB1085 off notice and I am not happy about it! Nor will the legal citizens of this state that pay taxes and vote be happy about it either. Unfortunately lobbyists, members of this committee and school superintendents do not see the value in knowing how much it cost the people who foot the bill- the taxpayers of this state.

This legislation was simple- all we were asking for was a number of how many illegal students there are in our school system and how much did it cost to educate them. I ask you this, how can we as legislators make informed decisions without adequate information?

•In just Davidson County alone there are 12,000 illegal students in the public school system. Add to that the cost of the dual language programs that they provide, and the cost of supplemental food programs that they provide.

•The total k-12 expenditure for illegal immigrants cost the U.S. 12 billion dollars annually. Add to that the number of children born here to illegal immigrants and the cost more than doubles to a staggering 28.6 billion.

This data is just one more example of us turning a blind eye to the problem of illegal immigration in this country.

When are we going to wake up and realize that we must restore integrity to our nation’s immigration laws?

Mr. Chairman it is with a heavy heart that I am regretfully taking house bill 1085 off notice.

Thank you Mr. Chairman and members of this committee for your time.”

To view this bill in committee go to www.legislature.state.tn.us and click on schedules and calendars then click on House then click on Tues. 4/19 then click on the State and Local Government Video link.

House Bill 210

HB210 “The Tax That Won’t Die” which is nothing short of theft was placed behind the budget in committee this week. As prime sponsor of this bill it is important that we fight to protect family farms and small family businesses. Tennesseans work hard to achieve and to save so one can leave a good inheritance to their children. Being one of ten remaining states that have an estate tax, HB210 would exempt from taxation the first $1,000,000 and bump the dollar amount to $2,000,000. By seeking the greatest good and eliminating the death tax allowing heirs to keep what is rightfully theirs, think of all the new businesses, job growth and family farms that would continue on instead of the government putting an end to it? This bill has been placed behind the budget. I will keep you posted as this bill as to the outcome.

In closing, one of the highlights of the week was Pastor Tim Frank, of First Baptist Church of Carthage, joined me on the House Floor as my guest and as the Pastor of the Day. It is such a blessing our great state begins each session with prayer. Pastor Tim, thank you for your remarks and heartfelt prayer for the members of the 107th General Assembly. Of course yours truly also added a reminder in song, “Because He Lives.”

DeKalb County's unemployment rate dropped to 9.4% in March, down from 10.2% in February according to new numbers released Thursday by the state. The local jobless rate for March a year ago was at 10.7%.

DeKalb County's Labor Force in March was at 10,120. A total of 9,170 were employed and 950 were unemployed

Among the fourteen counties of the Upper Cumberland, DeKalb County recorded the fourth lowest jobless rate for the month of March. Here's how the counties rank from highest to lowest in the Upper Cumberland:

County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for March 2011, show that the rate decreased in 93 counties and increased in two counties.

Tennessee's unemployment rate for March was 9.5 percent, unchanged from the revised February rate. The national unemployment rate for March 2011 was 8.8 percent, down 0.1 percentage point from the February rate of 8.9 percent.
Lincoln County registered the state's lowest county unemployment rate at 6.1 percent, down from the February rate of 6.6 percent. Scott County had the state's highest unemployment rate at 21.9 percent, down from 22.6 percent in the previous month, followed by Pickett County at 16.4 percent, down from the February rate of 18.1 percent.

Knox County had the state's lowest major metropolitan rate of 7.0 percent, down from 7.6 percent in February. Hamilton County was 8.1 percent, down from 8.7 percent the previous month. Davidson County was 8.4 percent, down from 8.7 percent in February, and Shelby County was 10.1 percent, down from 10.4 percent in February.

An educator from DeKalb County High School was named "DeKalb County Teacher of the Year" Thursday night during the fourth annual Teacher of the Year banquet at DCHS.

Jenny Norris received the honor and a check for $150 from Liberty State Bank, the sponsor of the banquet. The presentation was made by Director of Schools Mark Willoughby and Roy Nelson Pugh of Liberty State Bank.

Norris was among five local educators who were recognized during the banquet for being chosen by peers as "Teacher of the Year" at their schools. The others were Christina Ontiveros from Smithville Elementary School, Michelle Jones from DeKalb Middle School, Shelia McMillen from DeKalb West School, and Lisa Mabe from Northside Elementary School.

Three of the educators, earlier this year, were selected "Teachers of the Year" locally and competed for regional honors in the Tennessee Teacher of the Year Program.

Michelle Burklow, Supervisor of Instruction for Pre-K through sixth grade, explained how the Teachers of the Year are selected. "Every year DeKalb County participates in the Tennessee Teacher of the Year program. Each school picks a Teacher of the Year from their school. That teacher is sent to the county level and we also participate in the regional by picking a teacher in Pre-K through 4th grade, a teacher in the 5th through 8th grade, and a 9th through 12th grade teacher. This year we sent nominations over (for regional competition) and we also sent the names of all five teachers of the year where a committee made up of several supervisors from the Upper Cumberland scored our county applicants based on the Rubric scoring guide," said Burklow. The overall Teacher of the Year from DeKalb County was chosen by this committee.

Norris teaches Biology at DCHS. Ontiveros is a Pre-Kindergarten teacher at Smithville Elementary. McMillen is a second grade teacher at DeKalb West. Jones teaches sixth grade language arts at DeKalb Middle School and Mabe is a second grade teacher at Northside Elementary School.

DeKalb County Teacher of the Year Jenny Norris of DCHS from dwayne page on Vimeo.
The guest speaker for the banquet was Herb Leftwich, Principal of Upperman High School. Others making remarks were Director of Schools Mark Willoughby, DeKalb County Board of Education Chairman Charles Robinson, first district school board member John David Foutch, and Roy N. Pugh of Liberty State Bank.

The principals of each school introduced their teachers of the year. Mrs. Jones, the teacher of the year at DeKalb Middle School, was unable to attend the banquet.

(Top Photo left to right: Roy N. Pugh of Liberty State Bank, Jenny Norris of DCHS, and Director of Schools Mark Willoughby)

(Middle Photo left to right: Roy N. Pugh of Liberty State Bank, Jenny Norris of DCHS, Shelia McMillen of DeKalb West School, Christina Ontiveros of Smithville Elementary School, Lisa Mabe of Northside Elementary School, and Director of Schools Mark Willoughby) Not pictured- DeKalb Middle School Teacher of Year Michelle Jones)

A total of 165 students at DeKalb County High School will receive their diplomas during graduation exercises Friday, May 20th at 7:00 p.m. on the high school football field.

The program will feature remarks by the Valedictorian Britney Campbell, the Class President, Tyler Seymour and Guest speaker Jonathan Fontanez, the Supervisor of Instruction for grades 7-12

The prestigious White Rose and Citizenship Awards will also be presented by DCHS Principal Kathy Hendrix to three outstanding members of the class. Diplomas will be presented to each graduate by Director of Schools Mark Willoughby. The DCHS Chorus is also expected to perform.

Meanwhile the DCHS Senior Awards Day program will be Thursday, May 19th at 8:30 a.m. at the gym. Scholarship awards will be presented.

During the graduation exercises, the honor students will be recognized including the 2011 Valedictorian Britney Campbell and the Salutatorian Martha Webb.

Students among the top twenty five senior academic ranking from numbers one to twenty five are as follows:

It took less than an hour Wednesday for a jury of seven women and five men to find 40 year old Timothy Wade Ford of Brush Creek guilty of initiating a process for manufacturing methamphetamine.

Ford, who stood trial in DeKalb County Criminal Court, is one of three people accused of cooking meth at the swimming hole on Dry Creek at Dowelltown last May.

In addition to the $15,000 fine imposed by the jury, Ford faces a possible sentence of 12 to 20 years in the state penitentiary as a range II offender. State prosecutors have filed a notice with the court seeking enhanced punishment against Ford based on his prior criminal record. Judge David Patterson has set a May 20th sentencing hearing for Ford.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Greg Strong and Phillip Hatch. Ford was represented by local attorney Jim Judkins.

Ford and two co-defendants, 35 year old Terry Wayne Daniels of Alexandria and 24 year old Lydia R. Judkins of Smithville were all arrested in this case on Friday, May 21st.

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Department received a call that day of a possible meth lab in operation at the swimming hole at Dry Creek. Deputies Jeremy Taylor and Steven Barrett responded to the scene and found a pick up truck, but there was no one inside. Shortly after their arrival, the officers heard something in the tall weeds about one hundred feet from the truck and went to investigate. There, they found Daniels and Lydia Judkins engaging in sexual activity. From another location nearby, the officers also heard the sound of glass clinking together. When officer Taylor went to check it out, he found Ford kneeling in tall weeds surrounded by meth lab components including a 2 liter bottle, tubing, drain cleaner, gloves, cold packs, jars that contained 2 layered liquids, coleman fuel, funnels, alcohol, electrical tape, and other items. It appeared that Ford was preparing to cook some methamphetamine, according to Sheriff Patrick Ray.

Ford, Daniels, and Lydia Judkins were all placed under arrest at the scene and a search of Daniels' truck yielded more items commonly used in the manufacture of meth. After arriving at the jail, officers found in Ford's pants pocket a bag that contained a powdery substance believed to be ephedrine.

Sheriff Ray and deputies Taylor and Barrett testified for the prosecution during the trial Wednesday. Ford testified in his own defense, denying that the meth lab belonged to him. Ford claims that he, Daniels, and Judkins drove to the swimming hole that day in Daniels pickup truck. Inside the truck were the meth lab components. According to Ford, after arriving at the swimming hole, Daniels and Lydia Judkins got out of the truck and left him alone. Fearing that he might be caught with the incriminating materials, Ford claims he removed those items from the truck and was placing them in the weeds, when officers arrived and discovered him.

Neither Daniels or Lydia Judkins were called to testify in the case.

In February, Lydia Judkins pleaded guilty to initiation of the manufacture of meth. She received an eight year sentence, all suspended to probation, supervised by community corrections. She was given credit for time served and fined $2,000. Judkins was given jail credit from October 10th, 2010 to February 7th.

The case against Daniels, also charged with initiation of a process to manufacture methamphetamine, remains pending in court.

Smithville Electric System is planning a power outage Saturday morning which will affect all SES customers.

"In order to increase our system’s capacity and reliability Smithville Electric is planning a Power Outage for all customers beginning April 23rd at 1:00am and possibly extending through 4:00am Saturday morning," according to a prepared statement from Smithville Electric System.

"This outage time will allow our personnel to safely install a new larger transformer in our substation. Our plans are to keep our outage time to a minimum and could be less. We do regret any inconvenience this outage may cause".

Actions you may consider before this event:

·Shut down computers or provide battery backup

·Leave electric garage doors open or cars outside

·Notify alarm system companies of outage times

For more information you may contact the Smithville Electric office Mon- Fri 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m or the
after hours answering service 24 hrs a day @ 615 597 4735.

A portion of a DeKalb County road will be closed for a little more than a month this summer due to bridge construction.

County Mayor Mike Foster reported to the county commission Monday night that the state wants to close Dry Creek Road in the Pea Ridge area tentatively from June 6th through July 15th while the work is in progress. "It's really going to adversely affect some people for a short period of time. They're (state) requesting to close Dry Creek Road in order to construct the north abutment of the new bridge right below Pea Ridge. The new abutment sets on the edge of Dry Creek Road which will require a drill rig be set up that will block the road. The wing wall closest to the existing bridge sets on the edge of the roadway. This will require an excavation approximately ten feet deep into the opening up of the roadway. It is impossible to keep traffic on this section of road while this work takes place. This is the upper bridge just before you get to Pea Ridge. Everybody from just this side of the bridge, the road will be cut this side of the old bridge. So that means that everybody up there, even Cave Hollow and everything above there, will be required to go around (detour) until this bridge is replaced. It will take about five weeks. They're going to build the abutment on the south side, southwest side, and the pier and then they're going to close the road and add in the pier on this side. While that's being done, it will be closed," said Foster.
TDOT has awarded a bid to Roads, LLC of Brentwood in the amount of $623, 963 to build a concrete I-Beam bridge there. The project includes grading, drainage, and paving. Construction on this project will begin this summer. The work must be completed on or before November 30th.

Road Supervisor Kenny Edge told WJLE that the project is to be funded with 80% federal funds and 20% local matching money, including 14% from the DeKalb County Highway Department budget (state aid) and 6% from the county general fund.

Early voting will June 1st-16th in the basement courtroom of the courthouse from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Thursdays; and from 9:00 a.m. until noon on Saturdays.

According to Dennis Stanley, Administrator of Elections, the requirements for absentee voting are as follows:

Absentee Voting by Mail

To vote by mail, a registered voter must fall under one of the following categories:

1.The voter will be outside the county of registration during the early voting period and all day on election day;

2.The voter or the voter's spouse is enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited college or university outside the county of registration;

3.The voter's licensed physician has filed a statement with the county election commission stating that, in the physician's judgment, the voter is medically unable to vote in person. The statement must be filed not less than five (5) days before the election and signed under the penalty
of perjury. The statement must be notarized;

4.The voter resides in a licensed facility providing relatively permanent domiciliary care, other than a penal institution, outside the voter's county of residence;

5.The voter will be unable to vote in person due to service as a juror for a federal or state court;

6.The voter is sixty-five (65) years of age or older;

7.The voter has a physical disability and an inaccessible polling place;

8.The voter is hospitalized, ill, or physically disabled and because of such condition, cannot vote in person;

9.The voter is a caretaker of a person who is hospitalized, ill, or disabled;

10.The voter is a candidate for office in the election;

11.The voter serves as an election day official or as a member or employee of the election commission;

12.The voter's observance of a religious holiday prevents him or her from voting in person during the early voting period and on election day;

13.The voter possesses a valid commercial driver license and certifies that he or she will be working outside the state or county of registration during the early voting period and all day on election day. The request should contain the CDL number;

14.The voter is a member of the military or is an overseas citizen.

Requesting a Ballot

A registered voter may request a by-mail ballot by sending a written request to the DeKalb County Election Commission. The request must have the voter's signature. The request may be mailed or faxed to the county election commission office. Upon receipt of the request, the local
election commission will mail an application for ballot to the voter. The application must be mailed back to the election commission and a ballot will be mailed to the voter. However, if the voter wants to expedite the application process, the voter may place the following information in the request for ballot:

1.The name of the registered voter;

2.The address of the voter's residence;

3.The voter's social security number;

4.The address to mail the ballot outside the county (this applies only when the reason for voting by mail involves that the voter will be outside of the county during early voting and on election day);

5.The election the voter wishes to participate in. If the election involves a primary, the political party in which the voter wishes to participate;